# Mjolnir....in Space **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 2, 2013, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mjolnir-in-space/665145 "2013-08-02T12:23:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bakhesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Bakhesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bakhesh)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mjolnir-in-space/665145/1 "2013-08-02T12:23:27Z")
OK, so if Thor drops Mjolnir, you can’t pick it up unless you are considered worthy. But what happens if Thor drops his hammer while in space? Could an unworthy person grab it and use it to smite their enemies? Just wondered if this scenario had ever come up in the comics. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mjolnir-in-space/665145/2 "2013-08-02T12:33:29Z")
Yes, several times. Thor’s had a number of cosmic adventures throughout multiple galaxies. Someone may be able to put his or her hand on it, but he/she still can’t wield it. Unless, of course, it’s Beta-Ray Bill. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mjolnir-in-space/665145/3 "2013-08-02T12:34:36Z")
Isn’t that how Beta-Ray Bill came about? (He was worthy, though. I believe an unworthy person is incapable of \*weilding \*Mjolnir, which manifests as being unable to lift/ move it while on Earth.) ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mjolnir-in-space/665145/4 "2013-08-02T12:37:17Z")
It was a plot device in one of the earlier comics. Some supervillian or other made an exact duplicate of Thor, and the duplicate picked up Mjolnir and threw it at Real Thor. It had no effect, because the magic inscription on the hammer said, “Whosoever holds this hammer, **be he worthy** , shall have the power of Thor.” Nobody else was worthy. [Beta Ray Bill](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beta_Ray_Bill)was worthy, but nobody else. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Bakhesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Bakhesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bakhesh)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mjolnir-in-space/665145/5 "2013-08-02T13:22:15Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > It was a plot device in one of the earlier comics. Some supervillian or other made an exact duplicate of Thor, and the duplicate picked up Mjolnir and threw it at Real Thor. It had no effect, because the magic inscription on the hammer said, “Whosoever holds this hammer, **be he worthy** , shall have the power of Thor.” Nobody else was worthy. > > [Beta Ray Bill](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beta_Ray_Bill)was worthy, but nobody else. > > Regards, > Shodan Think Captain America was worthy (although that might have been in the 2099 universe). Also, Wonder Woman was worthy, in the DC v Marvel crossover. So, in zero G, if I grabbed it, and swung it at an enemy, would Mjolnir stay still, and I would move? Or would Mjolnir still hit the enemy, but just with the power of a "normal " battlehammer? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mjolnir-in-space/665145/6 "2013-08-02T13:25:23Z")
Hulk has managed to pick it up on at least one occasion. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mjolnir-in-space/665145/7 "2013-08-02T13:26:47Z")
> [@Bakhesh](#): > > Think Captain America was worthy (although that might have been in the 2099 universe). Also, Wonder Woman was worthy, in the DC v Marvel crossover. > So, in zero G, if I grabbed it, and swung it at an enemy, would Mjolnir stay still, and I would move? Or would Mjolnir still hit the enemy, but just with the power of a "normal " battlehammer? The times I’ve seen it, Mjolnir would stay still, and you would move, probably with a comical expression on your face. Looking around, it appears that Conan the Barbarian has wielded Mjolnir once, and so has Rogue (after absorbing Thor’s life-force). Thor’s dad Odin has wielded it as well. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mjolnir-in-space/665145/8 "2013-08-02T13:32:16Z")
I was guessing that the reason nobody could lift it would be extraordinary mass, and that would have much the same effect in zero-G. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mjolnir-in-space/665145/9 "2013-08-02T13:33:20Z")
Wasn’t some DC hero found worthy as well, in one of the crossover events? ---
**Author:** ![Bakhesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Bakhesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bakhesh)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mjolnir-in-space/665145/10 "2013-08-02T13:33:28Z")
> [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](#): > > The times I’ve seen it, Mjolnir would stay still, and you would move, probably with a comical expression on your face. > > Looking around, it appears that Conan the Barbarian has wielded Mjolnir once, and so has Rogue (after absorbing Thor’s life-force). Thor’s dad Odin has wielded it as well. Thanks for the info. I knew this must have happened at some point. Also, we can add Eric Masterson to the list of Mjolnir-wielders. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mjolnir-in-space/665145/11 "2013-08-02T13:34:49Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Wasn’t some DC hero found worthy as well, in one of the crossover events? Wonder Woman (as has been noted above), briefly, and, in the last team-up, Superman carried Captain America’s shield and Mjolnir going into the final battle. Well, semi-final. ---
**Author:** ![tim314](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim314/32/3468_2.png) [@tim314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim314)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mjolnir-in-space/665145/12 "2013-08-02T13:45:06Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > Hulk has managed to pick it up on at least one occasion. I haven’t seen that one (although I’ll take your word for it). I have seen him fail to pick it up (which served to demonstrate that it was worthiness, not strength, that mattered). As to the OP, I think of Mjolnir as having infinite intertia (when an unworthy person tries to move it). One might be able to grab onto it as it floats through space, but one wouldn’t be able to swing it or toss it. But like many things in comics, this probably hasn’t been portrayed consistently over the years. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mjolnir-in-space/665145/13 "2013-08-02T13:52:09Z")
The only time I remember Hulk picking it up was in the Ultimates universe. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mjolnir-in-space/665145/14 "2013-08-02T13:54:08Z")
> [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](#): > > The only time I remember Hulk picking it up was in the Ultimates universe. That’s where I saw it, yeah. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mjolnir-in-space/665145/15 "2013-08-02T13:58:45Z")
I think strength is still involved, though. IIRC, Captain America is sufficiently worthy to be able to pick it up and carry it, but he still finds it too heavy to use it effectively as a weapon. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2013, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mjolnir-in-space/665145/16 "2013-08-03T20:29:58Z")
> [@Bakhesh](#): > > So, in zero G, if I grabbed it, and swung it at an enemy, would Mjolnir stay still, and I would move? Or would Mjolnir still hit the enemy, but just with the power of a "normal " battlehammer? In zero G, if you grabbed onto a _crescent wrench_ and attempted to swing it at an enemy, you’d most likely make comical flailing gestures and begin to slowly spin. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2013, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mjolnir-in-space/665145/17 "2013-08-03T20:40:43Z")
I remember seeing Thor drop it when facing off against The Hulk; Hulk “caught” it and ended up holding the head in his hand, with his hand flat on the ground, and said something along the lines of “Hah! Got your hammer… _uhhh… I think I broke my hand…_” So, grabbing it while it’s in free fall doesn’t count. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2013, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mjolnir-in-space/665145/18 "2013-08-03T21:25:07Z")
“Hulk…Is…Worthy!” (“Hulk hate personal pronouns.”) ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2013, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mjolnir-in-space/665145/19 "2013-08-03T21:52:31Z")
Captain America is (or was as of ~2008 when I stopped collecting comics) the one worthy person who’s picked it up and remained himself rather than turn into an ersatz Thor. Has anyone mentioned Dargo? He was some future guy who got the hammer and later was part of the Thor Corps with Beta Ray Thor and Thunderstrike. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2013, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mjolnir-in-space/665145/20 "2013-08-03T22:41:26Z")
> [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](#): > > The only time I remember Hulk picking it up was in the Ultimates universe. The Ultimate Hulk as worthy to weld Mjolnir? The one that’s a giant, cannibalistic rape monster? Jesus, I’m glad I stopped reading that book when I did. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mjolnir-in-space/665145.md?page=2)